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Grim,Slow,Unhelpful

Story from nhs.uk

"Grim,Slow,Unhelpful"

About: Princess Alexandra Hospital (Harlow)

8 hours of waiting to see a doctor this morning, people throwing up left right and centre not one cleaner in sight. Not one doctor/nurse/helper keeping an eye on the waiting room with sick/scared people. No care no attention. Your security guards are also useless. Sitting on instagram watching reels unable to actually help anyone. Just jobsworths. I know the NHS is struggling but with the right staff/cleaning teams as a starting point that would help. Next time I need to use the service I will look to avoid PAH due to this now being the second bad experience here. Some points for staff: communicate better with people who are sick and scared. Keep people up to date I find it crazy that the staff get annoyed with people asking how long the wait time is when they have been sat for 4 hours with no further communication. PAH needs a shake up and sorting out to make it work and be safe. I personally don’t think it’s a safe service currently.

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Responses

Response from Shahid Sardar, Associate Director Patient Engagement Experience, PE, The Princess Alexandra Hospital 3 months ago
We are preparing to make a change
Shahid Sardar
Associate Director Patient Engagement Experience, PE,
The Princess Alexandra Hospital

Submitted on 11/07/2025 at 15:19
Published on Care Opinion at 15:20

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience at The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust.

I am sorry to hear about the distressing experience you had during your recent visit, and sincerely apologise for the discomfort and frustration you endured.

Your feedback is incredibly valuable to us, as it helps us identify areas where we need to improve to deliver the kind, compassionate, communicative care we strive for.

We understand how challenging and upsetting it must have been to wait for eight hours without adequate communication or support. Your concerns about the lack of visible cleaning staff, insufficient monitoring of the waiting area, and the conduct of our security team are taken very seriously.

We also note your frustration about the lack of updates on wait times and the overall perception of safety within our service. These points fall short of the standards we aim to uphold, and we are committed to addressing them.

To better understand and resolve the issues you’ve raised, we would like to investigate your experience further. If you are comfortable, please provide additional details, such as the date and time of your visit and the specific department involved, by contacting our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) paht.pals@nhs.uk or 01279 827084

This will allow us to look into the specific circumstances and take appropriate action. We acknowledge the pressures facing the NHS, but this does not excuse the shortcomings you’ve described.

Following this up

If you would like to discuss this matter further or have additional suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact our PALS team. We are here to listen and support you. Once again, we apologise for the distress caused and thank you for bringing these matters to our attention. Your feedback is helping us improve the care we provide to all our patients.

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